What I love about Greek drama is that, even though it predates English literature, it has so much better female representation than in most English works before the Victorian era. Oedipus the King or Oedipus Rex is a fantastic Greek tragedy by Sophocles. It is the first (chronologically) of his three Theban plays.
A painting of Oedipus and the Spinx by Gustave Moreau, not a scene from Oedipus the King.
As Oedipus the King seeks to find the cause of the curse that befalls in his land, he is led to discover the truth about his birth and the horrendous fate that awaits him.
"But I say that you, with both your eyes are blind:
You can not see the wretchedness of your life,
Nor in whose house you live no, nor with whom.
Who are your father and mother? Can you tell me?
You do not even know the blind wrongs
That you have done them, on earth and in the world below."
This is one of the most prominent works in the world of literature. And, lucky for those of us who feel the need to read anything prominent, it is so well written and so much fun to read. However, just like everything translated, choosing the right translation is very important. There are so many out there, and it's hard to trust anybody. I chose the one by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald because I have read and loved Fitzgerald's translation of The Odyssey.
Good ol' Sophocles
The other two plays of the three are Oedipus and Colonus and Antigone. I'll probably get to them pretty soon.
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